Of Dice and Men by David M. Ewalt

Title: Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons and Dragons & the People Who Play ItAuthor: David M. EwaltGenre: Non-Fiction (Journalistic Memoir perhaps would be a more telling name)Part of a Series?: No

*I purchased a paperback copy of this book

Summary:
This book explores the creation and evolution of the popular table-top role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. The author is an award-winning journalist and life-long player of Dungeons & Dragons. He weaves together well-written stories of adventure from his personal D&D campaigns with analysis of D&D specifically and the broader world of gaming and its impact on popular culture. This book is a blend of history, journalism, narrative, and memoir.

Overall Impressions:
This book is educational, has sharp analysis, and the narrative sections are extremely well-written. I love this book and think everyone who has every enjoyed Dungeons & Dragons or wondered about their crazy friend who plays it should read it. And if Mr. Ewalt ever decides to write a book of fiction, I will happily read it too, based on the sections he wrote to describe his on-going Dungeons & Dragons campaign.

The Nitty Gritty:
The first thing that struck me about this book was the writing. When you pick a non-fiction book off the shelves, you never know whether you are getting a dry textbook or a fascinating glimpse into someone’s (or something’s) life or history. This book is definitely not a textbook. The language is easy to understand and informative. The chapters are organized in a logical manner and anyone who reads this book will come away with a better understanding not only of Dungeons & Dragons, but also gaming, table-top gaming, and society.

Interestingly enough, this non-fiction book also had sections of fictional writing as well: Mr. Ewalt used narratives from his own gaming sessions to help the reader connect with the gaming history he was sharing. And these sections were very well-written! I found it very difficult to resist going through the whole book to read those sections first. They were rich with description, detailed an intriguing premises, and featured characters I wanted to know more about. The worst thing about these vignettes was that there weren’t more of them.

Special Parenting Concerns:
You might think that with a book about Dungeons & Dragons there would be some parenting concerns. However, Dungeons & Dragons is just a game, a time when people get together and pretend to be forces of good, heroes in a world where magic is real and fighting evil is an acceptable job, rather than just a higher ideal. There is nothing about this book that a parent need to be concerned with. At worst, it provides an opening for discussing how gaming impacts culture and what, exactly, is an acceptable way to game responsibly.